This month, we feature a Black man pulled out of his jail cell, with disastrous results.

Execution without a trial

After midnight on December 12, 1917, three men took Wade Hampton, a Black man charged with attempting to rape three White women, from his Rock Springs jail cell at gunpoint. Less than an hour later, Hampton was dead. Read more in Dick Blust’s article “A Lynching in Rock Springs.”

Calendar Events

University of Wyoming Coe Library 
Feb. 1 to May 27, 2022. “Yellowstone National Park,” a 1904 poster by Henry Wellge, is among works from the exhibition Wonderland Illustrated, which will remain on view at Coe Library through May 27. The poster is now part of UW Libraries’ Emmett D. Chisum Special Collections. The exhibit will present posters and poster-style illustrations of the park from the 1870s through 2022. The exhibition will be located on Level 3 of Coe Library in the hall outside of UW Libraries’ Emmett D. Chisum Special Collections. For more information call (307) 766-6245 or email thert@uwyo.edu.

Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody
April 14, 2022, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. “Recording the Yellowstone Hotspot Track.” The ever-changing geology of Yellowstone is fueled by the Yellowstone Hotspot. The hotspot eruptive centers date back at least 17 million years and there is evidence for much older intrusions. Come hear a presentation by Center Outreach Educator George Miller and Geology / Geophysics doctoral student Cole Messa. Learn about the morphology of the hotspot and very recent steam explosions in Yellowstone National Park.
 
The event is $20 per person; please consider purchasing tickets in advance. For more information, click here and scroll down the page for ticket purchase information.
 
The Riverton Museum
April 6, 2022, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Join Ken Stoeklin of Lehman Studios in downtown Riverton for his presentation, “A Reflection in Time,” about the history of photography and his personal photography.
The program is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.  
 
Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum
“Teton Teater: Creating Art & Community in Jackson Hole.” Exhibit open through April 9, 2022
For more information, click here.
 
Natrona County Historical Society, Casper
April 28, 2022, April Banquet, Casper Country Club. Randy Hein speaks on historic architects in Casper. Cocktails start at 6:00 p.m. For more information contact Robin Broumley, robinbroumley@gmail.com or (307) 473-9087.

Washakie Museum, Worland 
April 7, 2022, Double exhibit opens for western landscape artist Sean McCotter, and “Dig It! The Secrets of Soil.” Opening gala, 5:30-7:30 pm; $10 admission for non-members, free to members. Both exhibits will be on display through the end of April.

April 13, 2022, Kiss the Ground documentary film followed by a presentation on Wyoming soils and regenerative agriculture by University of Wyoming Extension educator, Dr. Caitlyn Youngquist. Event begins at 8 p.m.; admission is $10 for nonmembers, $8 for members.
 
For more information, visit the museum website at washakiemuseum.org or call (307) 347-4102.